The Golden Scarab (Chasing Chaos Book One)

Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Panya screamed, a primal sound that surprised even her. Her grip on the weather slipped and Apep's storm returned.

     "Oh, sweet child... Don't despair. I did you a favor. You never got along with her anyway," Apep said. He was laughing at her.

     Panya stared at Alison's body in shock. She wanted to reply to him, to fight him, to destroy him, but she could barely remember how to breathe.

     "Now, now, are you already out of witty comebacks? How tragic. You are not your mother's daughter. She was nothing but wit. You are not like your father, either. He is powerful. You are nothing but a frightened child," he taunted her.

     She wanted to deny it. She wanted to fight back. She wanted to pull Alison's body against her own and protect her, even if she was already dead. She could not remember how to do any of these things.

     "You are in shock. It's no surprise. Your soul is very pure. You believe there are no lost causes. You believe everyone has good in them. You're weak because you trust so openly. To see me murder someone so quickly and in cold blood, for no real reason, stuns you. Your fragile mind cannot comprehend it. I'm sorry for that. I'll free you from that now."

     He transformed fully into a snake and slithered closer to her. His jaws went wide and his tongue moved toward her. He was ready to swallow her.

     Suddenly, Panya's entire body felt like it was on fire. Every inch of her burned, but it didn't hurt. It felt empowering. She embraced the energy and soon, actual fire surrounded her.

     Apep hissed in pain as she singed his scales. He was wounded. That satisfied Panya on an unfamiliar level. She never took pleasure in the pain of others, but Apep was different. This was karma. This was for Alison, and for everyone else he had killed or tortured.

     A human voice came from his mouth. "You cannot destroy me, Daughter of Ra!" He shouted.

     "I know," Panya replied. "I can, however, make you wish that I could."

     She was so filled with rage. She wanted to torture him. She wanted him to pay for what he had done. She called scorpions to her and they attacked the snake. He was immune to their poison, but not to the pain of their stings.

     She was shaking now. She couldn't pull back the energy. There was too much. She'd held back for so long and now, she was unable to stop. The energy flowed from her until Apep slithered away in a panic.

     Exhausted, Panya collapsed. She curled up beside Alison's body and wept as her scorpions formed a protective circle around them.

*

     "This way," Jonathan said. "I can see footprints. His people are in the next corridor. We just need to catch them by surprise."

     Zane nodded. "I feel her... I can't sense her well, but she's in there. I just pray she's still alive."

     "She is," Jonathan said with more certainty than he felt. "Come on. Let's go save your sister."

     The two men entered the corridor and immediately spotted Olivia tied to a post in the center of the room. She was battered and bleeding, but she was struggling to free herself. She was still alive.

     There was a large army of cult members scattered throughout the hall. All of them had their eyes fixed on Olivia. "Ma'at will be destroyed," one declared. "There shall be no more justice, nor order. Chaos shall rule!"